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Yankees lose super weird one to Orioles | Rapid reaction

Updated on April 30, 2017 at 8:23 PMPosted on April 30, 2017 at 5:50 PM

Craig Gentry,Starlin Castro

Baltimore Orioles' Craig Gentry, right, slides safely into second base, past New York Yankees second baseman Starlin Castro, during the third inning of the baseball game at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, April 30, 2017, in New York. (Seth Wenig | AP)

NEW YORK -- It was the loudest, most raucous cheer maybe anyone outside of a beer league softball game has ever heard for a first baseman catching a pop up.

That's because the first baseman was a reliever named Bryan Mitchell, who had pitched the inning before, had just missed an easier pop up minutes prior, and actually had to pitch the next inning, too.

That's how weird the 7-4 loss in 11 innings it was for the Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.

The defeat dropped the Yankees to 15-8 -- tied with the Orioles atop the American League East. New York had won its last four games and was in sole possession of baseball's top mark for the first time since July 27, 2012.

Mitchell gave up the Orioles' go-ahead run when Mark Trumbo's groundball single up the gut brought home Joey Rickard from second base, making it 5-4. Two more runs came in on Wellington Castillo's single to set the final score.

The Yankees nearly won it, despite the calamity. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 10th, Aaron Judge struck out swinging.

Mitchell pitched a scoreless ninth, went to first base for the 10th with Aroldis Chapman on the mound and the Yankees out of pitchers, and then went back to the rubber for the 11th.

Mitchell was forced back into pitching because manager Joe Girardi pinch hit Greg Bird for Chapman with runners on second and third base and one out in the 10th. Bird was hit by the pitch.

Mitchell had never played an out at another position other than pitcher as a professional. As a high schooler, Mitchell played right field and designated hitter in games he didn't pitch.

Out of pitchers behind closer Chapman and with the score tied at 4-all, manager Joe Girardi gave Mitchell a first baseman's mitt. The plan, seemingly, would have been for Mitchell to pitch if or when Chapman hit his limit or needed to be pitch hit for.

Mitchell charged in on Wellington Castillo's pop up with no outs as Chapman ran toward him. Mitchell called for it but it missed his outstretched glove.

He made up for it when he snatched Jonathan Schoop's pop up to the left of first base, sending the crowd into a relieved frenzy. Girardi had used three reliever after pulling starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery and two others were unavailable due to pitching on Saturday.

Think that was nuts? Well, Orioles manager Buck Showalter watched it all happen from the clubhouse.

Plate umpire Stu Scheurwater ejected Showalter in the ninth for arguing a balk call that moved runners to third and second with one out for Chase Headley. Reliever Darren O'Day had tried a pick off throw at second base but Scheurwater ruled it a balk as the ball bounced into center field.

Didi Gregorius' single then scored Headley and Judge to tie the game and send it into extras.

Montgomery appeared to be on his way to outpitching Miley until he ran into trouble in the sixth.

After striking out seven and allowing a run through five, Montgomery walked the first two batters of the inning. Girardi called on reliever Jonathan Holder to clean up the mess. He couldn't.

Holder let both of Montgomery's runners score and then one more. By the end of the frame, the Yankees were down by the eventual final score.

It was a wonder why Girardi turned to Holder, a rookie who entered the day giving up 12.9 hits per nine innings, when strikeout artist Dellin Betances was available. Instead, Girardi went to Betances in the eighth, with his team down two runs.

Girardi also went to more accomplished relievers Tyler Clippard and Mitchell later in the game.

Holder's choke job erased the 2-1 advantage the Yankees secured when Headley's live-drive single to right field brought Starlin Castro in the third.

Headley's knock actually loaded the bases with one out, but Carter whiffed and Kyle Higashioka popped out to second base to end the threat.

In the second, Chris Carter followed Didi Gregorius' leadoff single with a double, putting runners on second and third. But three straight Yankees -- Higashioka, Brett Gardner and Aaron Hicks -- struck out, stranding them.

Matt Holliday provided the Yankees' other run -- a first-inning solo shot to center off Miley, who walked five and allowed eight hits over five innings. He also fanned six.

Montgomery, meanwhile, labored at times, walking two and watching three fly balls reach the warning track, including one from Manny Machado that Judge hauled in with a leaping catch to end the first inning.